I know, it's only Monday, but I'm on vacation and am sneaking in a few moments to write a post. My honey and I are on vacation in Taos, New Mexico. What a beautiful part of the world! We've hiked on snow covered and dirt trails, enjoyed sunsets and more stars than you can count, have eaten the most delicious food, and are in awe of the artwork that abounds in this area. Such talent! I left a little room in my suitcase to bring some goodies home but I must choose wisely. We're off soon to visit a few galleries and then to soak in mineral springs. Bliss! Enjoy these pictures.

Beautiful sunset

Ski season is closed in Taos Ski Valley so we hiked the trail in the snow.

Rio Grande gorge

Spectacular mountains

A stream on our hiking trail. I found a warm rock, meditated and enjoyed the view.

Sorry Tuesday Treat is late. Woo wee! Have I been busy! I moved my business and am getting ready for a trip, so time is just flying by. I did take a few hours to join my honey at a vintage motorcycle show. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

My winner is Sherry S. Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment. I really enjoyed reading them!

Peace and prayers to those in pain in Boston Photo by Mark Voorendt, April 2001

How could I resist this hop, since my latest book is called Into the Magic! I've always been fascinated with magic in any way, shape or form. Magicians, wizards, witches, anyone who uses a special power sparks my interest. I firmly believe we all have hidden abilities, our own brand of magic. My heroine, Star Lite, has recently found out she has magical powers and is starting to use them. Unfortunately, bad guys have also become aware of her gifts, so she and the two hot men in her life have to find a way to protect themselves. Read the excerpt below to see what they have in mind.

How about you? Tell me something you do very well or love to do. I'll start. I'm a kitchen magician. I love to create healthy, tasty food. Though I don't have the time to do nearly as much as I would like, I try to use my own special bit of magic whenever I prepare food.

Leave me a comment and be entered to win either an Ebook from my back list (that's everything except Into the Magic), or, for US residents only, a goodie bag with homemade one-of-a-kind bookmarks and other hand-crafted items.

This Hop is hosted by author Kallystenand book blogRiverina Romantics. In addition to individual prizes provided on each blog, they are offering assorted swag to the first 100 participants who simply tell them they want some! See all details here.

So, do three things: 1. Leave me a comment to enter to win my prize 2. Visited Riverina Romantics and ask for swag (I contributed some absolutely fabulous hand-made magnets) 3. Click on the next hop stop below. Good luck to you!

Special bonus if you've read this far, here's an excerpt from my latest book, Into the Magic. Go to my Excerpts page if you want to read one a little hotter.

******************

Star stared at Tristan for a moment then slapped him, hard. She almost followed that with an uppercut move she’d learned in kickboxing class but got a grip on her anger. “All right, enough.” Tristan backed away. “You deserve that, and more. If we didn’t have urgent matters to deal with, you’d be facing punishment from the council for this.” Adam clenched his fists at his sides and Star saw white-hot colour surrounding him. Bursts of red fired out. “I only did it because I’m very attracted to you, Star, and I wanted to see how you felt about me. I didn’t know about your relationship with Adam, and if I had a chance with you, I wanted to grab it. I can sense you’re a highly sexual woman but are hesitant to let that force loose. By using a little sex magic, I merely allowed you to express your desires.” “You know not to use your sexual power on women. You’ve been in trouble with this before. Besides, I don’t think you care about Star at all, your ego couldn’t resist another conquest, especially someone as powerful as Star.” “Look, nothing happened, calm down. Star called it off. Why are you so worked up? It’s not like you have genuine feeling for her anyway, you just want her power.” Adam lunged towards Tristan again, but Star grabbed him. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go. You guys can duke it out later.” Though she wanted to ask Adam if what Tristan had said was true, Star filed it to the back of her mind, to be dealt with another time. Adam shook her off but turned away from Tristan and grabbed the suitcase from Star. “Where do you think you’re going to go that the Vigilar won’t find you?” Tristan walked into the kitchen, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and put it to his face. “I’m sure they’ll catch up to us, eventually. I want to have some time to come up with a plan. How do you know about the Vigilar being after us, anyway?” Adam asked. “Word gets around. I do have an idea that may help, though I suspect you’re not going to like it much.” “Let’s hear it.” “If the three of us have sex, I believe we can raise enough power to conceal you both for a while.” “No.” “Now you’re letting your ego get in the way of Star’s safety. Think about it. You know it will work. With our energy combined, we can create a most effective protection spell.” “Is that true? Could that work?” Star looked back and forth at both men. She saw sparks of light pulsing between them, silver and scarlet. “Yes, it could work. Tristan knows potent sex magic, and the three of us together would certainly raise some power.” Adam sighed and began to pace in the tiny kitchen, reminding Star of a leopard she had once seen in a too-small cage at the zoo. “First of all, working a spell like that will draw attention to us. We’ll have to get it right the first time, and once we start, we can’t stop,” Adam said. “Don’t worry, it will be right. It will be perfect.” Tristan smiled, then winced, bringing a hand to his cheek, which was turning red. “Second, can you manage this without hurting Star?” “Of course I can. That’s the whole point, to keep her safe.” “I mean without hurting her during sex. Word has got around about you, too, and your tastes and sexual preferences.” “I will only proceed at Star’s comfort level. Who knows?” Tristan turned to look at Star. “You may find some of my preferences enjoyable.” A shiver crept up her spine and at the same time a warm tingle spread low in her belly. Tristan’s eyes gleamed, and the colours around him pulsed bright yellow and orange. Just by talking about sex, she could feel the energy roll off him, and could sense his excitement. “Would you be willing?” Adam asked Star. “Especially after what he did to you?” Watching both men, Star had a sudden picture of the three of them, naked, in bed together. Her pussy clenched and she clamped her teeth to keep from moaning out loud. The thought scared the shit out of her but at the same time made her weak with desire. “If it will buy us more time, I’d be willing.” Adam grunted. “All right. I’m not real keen on the idea, but we don’t have many options at this point.” Tristan took Star’s hands in his. “Star, forgive me. I honestly did not know you and Adam were serious. I have a weakness for beautiful women, and you’re so lovely. I’ve come to care for you over these past weeks, and I knew sex with you would be beyond wonderful. You weren’t going to be just another conquest for me.”

*********************Available now at Total-E-Bound and other retailersInto the Magic

Exciting news for me, I'm moving my massage business! Lots and lots of work for me also, but it will be worth it. I've been cleaning the place and doing minor maintenance the last few weeks before I move in and one thing I've noticed is an odd smell. I'm sure once I'm there on a daily basis and get my essential oils and sage permeating the place, the strange scent will vanish. Smell is one of my favorite senses and you will see it mentioned often in my books and hear me rant when I come across a bad one. I had my friend and aromatherapist, Doreen DeSerres from Nature's Spirit, concoct an oil blend just for me. We brainstormed one day and came up with the name Sensual Enchantment. It's positively delicious! I put it in my hair and on my clothes when I'm writing a sex scene (or even planning a bit of naughtiness *tee-hee*) and I do believe it helps get me in the mood. If you're starting to experiment with scents for fun or to evoke a feeling or create an atmosphere, check out essential oils as a pure, clean way to explore. Sorry this is another short post, but time has been flying way too fast. Have a scentsational day!

Prayers and positive energy to those who are suffering in Boston. May they find peace.

Most of the time I'm happy wearing a big old comfy t-shirt to bed, like my heroine, Star. Every now and then, however, I get in the mood for some sexy lingerie. What about you? What do you wear to sleep in? Enjoy this post about Star and her seduction plan.

***********

“Are you sure I shouldn’t stay one more day?” she called from behind the door. “If you give me directions, I can do magic. Remember, on Porrima? We did pretty well, together.” “No, I’ll worry about you and you’ll distract me.” “I won’t distract you, I promise.” Star came out of the bathroom wearing a short, see-through robe. Her bedtime garments usually consisted of old T-shirts purchased from the thrift store, which she wore until they had too many holes. For this trip, she’d splurged on this barely there wisp of lingerie. The short style flattered her figure, showing off her legs and hinting at more beneath. Star loved the way the chiffon caressed her skin. Her nipples hardened as the fabric slid over them. Adam stopped his movements and stared at her. Star gracefully twirled, giving him a full-body view, and she watched his eyes darken and a slow heat flare in them. She suddenly ached for his touch. “It’s new. Do you like it?” “I like it very much. I like what’s in it even more. See? You’re already distracting me. Here’s my credit card. Call the airline.”

********************

Want more? Read another excerpt at my Book List/Excerpt page, or better yet, buy the book.

Sorry the Tuesday Treat is short today. I've got a lot cooking in my life right now. Mostly good stuff, but my days are zipping by. I'm hoping for things to calm down in a few weeks. A little boredom would be nice for a change!

I'm delighted to be participating in my first Sneak Peek Sunday at Sara Walter Ellwood's place. Since we're finally moving into spring, I'm feeling a little more energetic and thought I would post paragraphs with a lot of movement and energy. Maybe reading this scene will inspire me to go clean my floors! I hope you enjoy it. Make sure to visit the link below for more authors.

Star stared at Tristan for a moment then slapped him, hard. She almost followed that with an uppercut move she’d learned in kickboxing class but got a grip on her anger. “All right, enough.” Tristan backed away. “You deserve that, and more. If we didn’t have urgent matters to deal with, you’d be facing punishment from the council for this.” Adam clenched his fists at his sides and Star saw white-hot colour surrounding him. Bursts of red fired out. “I only did it because I’m very attracted to you, Star, and I wanted to see how you felt about me. I didn’t know about your relationship with Adam, and if I had a chance with you, I wanted to grab it. I can sense you’re a highly sexual woman but are hesitant to let that force loose. By using a little sex magic, I merely allowed you to express your desires.” “You know not to use your sexual power on women. You’ve been in trouble with this before. Besides, I don’t think you care about Star at all, your ego couldn’t resist another conquest, especially someone as powerful as Star.” “Look, nothing happened, calm down. Star called it off. Why are you so worked up? It’s not like you have genuine feeling for her anyway, you just want her power.”

I have a very keen sense of smell. The upside to this is I get to enjoy so many fragrant aromas, but the downside is I often have to suffer breathing a host of malodorous scents. What many other people think is fragrant, I find repugnant. Most perfumes give me a headache and the same goes for incense and candles. I recently read a blog post about what writers use to get in the mood to write romance. Many of them reported a scented candle did the trick, so I decided to give that device a try. I wandered through the candle aisle of the grocery store, sniffing this one and that one, making sure I only tried the soy variety. Read why soy is better to burn than paraffin. None of the flavors lit up my libido until I came to Crisp Cotton. Yes! It smelled like clean sheets and evoked a feeling of lovers rolling passionately in bed. Perfect! Here I sit, trying to get in the mood to finish my love scene, a smell reminiscent of a chemical toilet wafting through the air. *sigh* It smelled so good in the store. Why do these candles burn with such a strong odor? My search will continue, but until then, I'm capping this candle and will stick to lighting sage when I need to fill the air with fragrance.

Happy Spring everyone! I hope the weather has started to turn lovely in your part of the world. It's reassuring that no matter how harsh the winter, spring will always arrive. The theme of this scavenger hunt is New Beginnings. It's a wonderful feeling to start a new project, move to a new location, or make any kind of change for the better. The heroine in my latest book, Into the Magic, is Star Lite. She's in danger, and the two men who care about her want to protect her. In the excerpt below, Tristan proposes something new for her to try, a sexual menage.

I plan a few dutiful hours of spring cleaning soon and am making a big positive change in my work life. More on that later. Right now, let's start the Blisse Bunnies Scavenger hunt. Here are the rules and prizes:How to play:

Each Blog Post will have a number of these cute Rabbits on it. You just need to count how many is on each blog. Go here to find the next post: http://blissebunnies.co.uk

Once you have the number from each blog, add them all up together to get the final total.

EMail victoria@victoriablisse.co.uk with your answer and all correct entries will go into the Grand Prize Draw.

One Lucky Winner will win each Prize

Blisse Bunnies runs from the 1st April 2013 till the 10th April 2013.

Winner will be drawn at 9 AM GMT on the 8th April 2013 and announced on the promoters websites & Facebook pages.

Have fun on the hunt and enjoy the excerpt below. For another excerpt with more sizzle and heat go to my Book list/Excerpt page. **********************

Star stared at Tristan for a moment then slapped him, hard. She almost followed that with an uppercut move she’d learned in kickboxing class but got a grip on her anger. “All right, enough.” Tristan backed away. “You deserve that, and more. If we didn’t have urgent matters to deal with, you’d be facing punishment from the council for this.” Adam clenched his fists at his sides and Star saw white-hot colour surrounding him. Bursts of red fired out. “I only did it because I’m very attracted to you, Star, and I wanted to see how you felt about me. I didn’t know about your relationship with Adam, and if I had a chance with you, I wanted to grab it. I can sense you’re a highly sexual woman but are hesitant to let that force loose. By using a little sex magic, I merely allowed you to express your desires.” “You know not to use your sexual power on women. You’ve been in trouble with this before. Besides, I don’t think you care about Star at all, your ego couldn’t resist another conquest, especially someone as powerful as Star.” “Look, nothing happened, calm down. Star called it off. Why are you so worked up? It’s not like you have genuine feeling for her anyway, you just want her power.” Adam lunged towards Tristan again, but Star grabbed him. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go. You guys can duke it out later.” Though she wanted to ask Adam if what Tristan had said was true, Star filed it to the back of her mind, to be dealt with another time. Adam shook her off but turned away from Tristan and grabbed the suitcase from Star. “Where do you think you’re going to go that the Vigilar won’t find you?” Tristan walked into the kitchen, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and put it to his face. “I’m sure they’ll catch up to us, eventually. I want to have some time to come up with a plan. How do you know about the Vigilar being after us, anyway?” Adam asked. “Word gets around. I do have an idea that may help, though I suspect you’re not going to like it much.” “Let’s hear it.” “If the three of us have sex, I believe we can raise enough power to conceal you both for a while.” “No.” “Now you’re letting your ego get in the way of Star’s safety. Think about it. You know it will work. With our energy combined, we can create a most effective protection spell.” “Is that true? Could that work?” Star looked back and forth at both men. She saw sparks of light pulsing between them, silver and scarlet. “Yes, it could work. Tristan knows potent sex magic, and the three of us together would certainly raise some power.” Adam sighed and began to pace in the tiny kitchen, reminding Star of a leopard she had once seen in a too-small cage at the zoo. “First of all, working a spell like that will draw attention to us. We’ll have to get it right the first time, and once we start, we can’t stop,” Adam said. “Don’t worry, it will be right. It will be perfect.” Tristan smiled, then winced, bringing a hand to his cheek, which was turning red. “Second, can you manage this without hurting Star?” “Of course I can. That’s the whole point, to keep her safe.” “I mean without hurting her during sex. Word has got around about you, too, and your tastes and sexual preferences.” “I will only proceed at Star’s comfort level. Who knows?” Tristan turned to look at Star. “You may find some of my preferences enjoyable.” A shiver crept up her spine and at the same time a warm tingle spread low in her belly. Tristan’s eyes gleamed, and the colours around him pulsed bright yellow and orange. Just by talking about sex, she could feel the energy roll off him, and could sense his excitement. “Would you be willing?” Adam asked Star. “Especially after what he did to you?” Watching both men, Star had a sudden picture of the three of them, naked, in bed together. Her pussy clenched and she clamped her teeth to keep from moaning out loud. The thought scared the shit out of her but at the same time made her weak with desire. “If it will buy us more time, I’d be willing.” Adam grunted. “All right. I’m not real keen on the idea, but we don’t have many options at this point.” Tristan took Star’s hands in his. “Star, forgive me. I honestly did not know you and Adam were serious. I have a weakness for beautiful women, and you’re so lovely. I’ve come to care for you over these past weeks, and I knew sex with you would be beyond wonderful. You weren’t going to be just another conquest for me.”